Vampire Crawlers: Did Poncle Just Accidentally Cast the Wrong Spell, Or Is This Card Game a Hidden Gem?
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Jeff dives into *Vampire Crawlers*, a card-game spin-off of the indie phenomenon *Vampire Survivors*, finding it a fascinating but ultimately fractured experiment that struggles to balance its homage with its new genre mechanics.
Right, so we all remember 2022, yeah? It was the year Elden Ring decided to show us what a truly epic, punishing, and utterly brilliant open world looked like. But then, almost out of nowhere, a little sprite-based wonder called *Vampire Survivors* rolled up, looking like it was made on a Commodore 64 during someone's lunch break (and bless it for that, honestly), and proceeded to absolutely dominate. It chewed up our free time, spat out power-ups, and even bagged a BAFTA for Best Game, leaving the industry scratching its head and probably a few AAA studios wondering what the bloody hell just happened. *Vampire Survivors* was pure, unadulterated, chaotic joy – a true digital revelation.
So, naturally, when whispers started about a follow-up, *Vampire Crawlers*, my wizardly senses tingled. Was it going to be more of that glorious, real-time horde-slaying madness? Well, that's where things get a bit... curious. We're told *Vampire Crawlers* is from *Vampire Survivors* developer Poncle. Except, that's not quite the full story, is it, mate? It's actually been crafted by Nosebleed, the clever sods behind the wonderfully nostalgic *Arcade Paradise*, and merely 'presented' by Poncle. Now, a digital wizard like myself always raises an eyebrow when the narrative gets a bit twisted, but knowing Nosebleed is at the helm actually sparks a different kind of excitement. It means we're getting a fresh take, a new perspective on the *Vampire Survivors* universe, rather than a direct, carbon-copy sequel.
And fair dinkum, it's a *very* different take. Forget the fluid, real-time bullet-hell ballet where you're constantly dodging hundreds of pixelated nasties, clinging to life as your character accidentally becomes an unstoppable whirlwind of destruction. *Vampire Crawlers* opts for a first-person, retro-styled dungeon crawl, powered by cards. Yes, cards. It’s like someone accidentally dropped a deck of Magic: The Gathering into a pot of *Vampire Survivors* soup and said, 'Let's see what happens!'
The fundamental shift is huge. Where *Vampire Survivors* was a relentless, ever-escalating dance of death and power-ups, *Crawlers* is stop-start. You wander, tile by tile, through familiar 3D spaces – the Forest, the Library – but now from a ground-level perspective. You bump into enemies, and *bam*, it's turn-based card battle time. The glorious feeling of colossally unfavourable odds piling against you, of discovering game-shaking evolutions through sheer, delightful experimentation, that's largely gone. And honestly, I miss it. That alchemical reaction of merging random items into an unstoppable force was part of the *Vampire Survivors* magic.
But here's the kicker: within its own card-game constraints, *Vampire Crawlers* actually *works*. Nosebleed has done a rather impressive job of injecting the *Vampire Survivors* soul into a completely different genre. The cards themselves are modelled on powers you'll recognise, played according to an energy pool. You defeat enemies, earn gems to level up, and get more cards. Rinse and repeat, pushing as far as your single health pool will take you. It's a classic dungeon crawler loop, just with a card-slinging twist.
What truly shines are the little nods to the parent game. Seeing those iconic levels like the Library from a first-person perspective is genuinely novel. That massive praying mantis up close? Terrifying, in a good way! Bits of environmental detail, like breakable candelabras and chests, spewing chickens or gold (classic!), are everywhere. And there's even a town between runs where you can spend your hard-earned gold to power up or buy new heroes, just like in *Vampire Survivors*. As a fan, it’s a lovely, nostalgic embrace, like a familiar, comforting spell.
Nosebleed also put some clever thought into making the card battles feel less sluggish. You don't have to wait for card animations to finish; you can just click away, keeping the pace motoring. And there's a neat combo system, where playing cards of sequentially higher mana costs buffs your next card significantly. The game *wants* you to feel powerful, to make big plays, which absolutely echoes the core philosophy of *Vampire Survivors*. Powers start strong, so there’s no slow build-up – you’re getting stuck in from the off.
However, this is where my gentle skepticism starts to hum like an overloaded mana crystal. While the game wants you to feel powerful, it doesn't quite offer the same dizzying depth of customisation or scaling as its predecessor. Card powers upgrade only once, with socketed gems offering tweaks like double damage or card draw, rather than the wild, unpredictable evolutions of *Vampire Survivors*. It feels a bit... pre-prescribed. Less 'accidental wizardry', more 'following the recipe'. There doesn't seem to be as much room for true experimentation or strategic theorising, which is a bit of a missed trick for a card game, isn't it?
Take the inability to refuse card rewards, for example (at least in the demo). In many great deck-builders, shaping your deck, trimming the fat, is key. Here, you're just piling it on. That said, when you *do* get an upgraded deck, packed with card-draw and complementary buffs, you can pull off some genuinely impressive plays that give you a taste of that *Vampire Survivors*-esque power fantasy, especially during those glorious boss encounters. The intoxication is almost there, but the staccato, turn-based nature keeps breaking the spell.
So, where do we land? I'm a bit torn, like a spell scroll that’s been partially burned. I genuinely appreciate the detailed homage and Nosebleed's impressive feat of recreating the *Vampire Survivors* vibe in a completely different genre. There are moments when *Vampire Crawlers* comes tantalisingly close to the frenetic fun of its source material. But as a *Vampire Survivors* experience, it feels a tad fractured, and as a card game, it perhaps lacks the intricate strategic layers that would make it truly sing. It feels trapped between two masters, a common predicament for games trying to remix a beloved formula.
But hey, it's a demo, right? A digital wizard knows that development time can work wonders, and there's more game to come. Will they find that perfect balance? Will the final version unleash the chaos we crave with the strategy we expect? Only time will tell. For now, *Vampire Crawlers* is fun, but... it leaves you wondering 'what if?' – and that's usually the sign of an interesting experiment, even if it didn't quite blow a hole through reality this time.
*Original article by Robert Purchese for Eurogamer, published February 28, 2026.*
Tags: Vampire Survivors, Card Games, Dungeon Crawler, Indie Games, Game Analysis
Original article: Eurogamer